Flexible guard for road vehicles



Sept. 29, 1931. w. a. FAGEOL FLEXIBLE GUARD FOR ROAD VEHICLES Filed April 1, 1951 m M n o Wm M B accidents, 'vlrtue of a Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STAT S PATENT WILLIAM B. FAGEOL, or 1mm, OHIO, ASSIGNORTO TWIN COACH OFFICE H COMPANY, OF KENT,

OHIO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FLEXIBLE .GUARD. FOR ROAD VEHICLES Application filed April 1', 1931.

This invention relates to flexible guards or fenders for application to the bodies of automotive vehicles.

The devices of the present invention are not fenders, in the sense that this term defines the usual mud-guards or Wheel housings of vehicle bodies, but are flexible devices de-- signed for attachment to such mud-guards and wheel housings. I

It is a primary object of this invention to provide flexible guarding extensions vproj ecting laterally beyond the usual wheel housings,i. e., beyond the body recesses or the overhanging rigid fenders, which ever thecase may be. These lateral flexible extensions have the advantages of increasing the effectiveness of the splash guards, b preventing mud and the like from being t rown upon the vehicle body; of rmitting the vehicle body proper to be wi ened to the maximum lawful width, with the flexible devices projecting without harm beyond said lawful width; of preventing permanent and visible through minor accidents involving side-swiping and scraping; and of" damage to the body eliminating many serious or more damaging than those just mentioned, by psychological effect on the drivers of other vehicles. n

A further object of the present invention is to it to give it proper form and appearance. e devices may be molded to pre etermined size and radius, but preferably are molded in such manner that they may be applied to any one ofa number of wheel housings of similar shapes and sizes.

Another object-of my inventionconsists in the provision of aminner deformable bead on the longitudinal surface of the guard. This bead assists in quickly locating the guard in proper positionduringthe assembling operalt1on; assures aggzd seal between the guard 3 adds to the protection guard against damage, by

and the vehicle afforded by the serving as a resilient buffer; and helps to give theentire guarda somewhat definite shape I and proper appearance.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an outer deformable head at the projectmanufacture a flexible guard by molding- 'hicle of Fig. 6.

Serial No. 526,997.

guard, this head serving to strengthen and shape the guard and to protect the vehicle body by acting as a buffer for fending off colliding objects. .The foregoing and other objects will fully appear from a study of the following detailed escription, with its appended claims, and

the accompanying drawlngs.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an end of one type of transportation bus, ferred embodiment of the present invention mounted on the wheel housing.

Figure 2 is a partial vertical section, taken transversely of the vehicle of Fig. 1 adjacent the axle.

Figure 3 represents an enlarged partial sec tion, taken on the plane of line 33 in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the Figure 8 is a partial front elevational. view of a pleasure vehicle with a further modified form of flexible guard attached to the front fender thereof.

partial rear elevational View is an enlarged sectional view,

Figure 9 represents an enlarged vertical section taken Fig. 8.

- With continued reference to the wherein like numerals are employed to designate likev parts, and with particular reference for the moment to Figs. 1-4, the numeral 10 indicates commercial twin coach type, having a boxlike body 12 mounted upon wheels 13 and on axle 14. The body is relatively wide, being designed to eliminate the usual laterally protransvers ely of the fender of drawings,

9 generally a vehicle of the o jecting rigid fenders, and

its side walls are in vertical planes which, if extended, would completely house the wheels within the outer limits of the body. Adjacent the wheels the side walls are recessed in convex semi-circular fashion to form wheel recesses 16. 1

Each recess curved surface'of a housing member'17 that extends over the upper portion of the wheel and is supported at its lower edge by transverse frame elements 18. The upper edge of the housing member 17 engages the bottom of a plate 19 of the body. This edge, the plate, and the side wall are maintained in proper assembled position by an angle beam 20 and screw bolt assemblies 22. A semicircular flat ring 23 is fitted around the recess in the side wall to finish and strengthen special mold to j 'thenyif such a unit smaller housing,

a suflicient quantlty'of material from either or both ends of the guard. The devices of strip it, and to conceal the visible edges of the members 17 and 19. This combined structure forms, in effect, a housing withthe recess 16 for receiving the wheel.

. The attached device of this invention comprises a flexible guard 24 made up in the form of a skirt adapted to fit within the wheel housing and to project outwardly therefrom through a substantial distance. Its inner edge is clamped into firm surface engagement with the housing 17 by a suitably shaped band 25, the screw bolt assemblies 22 being utilized to perform the clamping oper-' ation. The outer edge of the skirt is shaped to curve inwardly toward the axis of the wheel, and at its extremity is enlarged to I form a longitudinal strengthening bead 26.

The skirt preferably comprises a body of rubber 27, covered with a thin layer of fabric 28 and carrying a second longitudina bead 29, which forms a sealing and locating within the angle formed by the ring 23 and the main body of the guard.

The guard 24 preferably is formed in a give it a proper and somewhat permanent curved shape and a rigid appearance. The molding process does not produce an article of a given or fixed size and radius, but rather a unit that is adapted for use on any one of a number of similar wheel housings of .various shapes and sizes. For example, a relatively large unit may be molded to fit a certain wheel housing and is to be applied to a it is only necessary to trim course could be cut in suitable lengths from a roll comprising one continuous unmolded strip of material, but the devices so formed would not have as perfect form and as permanent shape, when mounted, as themolded guard.

The fabric covering 28 not only camouflages the existence f the rubber body 27 and protects it from the natural elements, but

16 terminates adjacent thebetween two rigid and permanent appearance causes skirts flex and the beads space the vehicle bodies apart to prevent permanent and visible damage to the latter. After such minor collisions the skirts flex back into normal shape. The bead 29 has the further functions of providing a locating shoulder to exedite the convenience and accuracy of assembly, and to prevent the body of the guard from being bent back too sharply against the lower edge of the ring 23 in casesof sidescrapin collisions.

It is esirable, in building a bus or the like for transportation purposes, to utilize a wide body in order to produce a large carrying capacity. In many' states, however, there are laws limiting the maximum overall widths of vehicle bodies, and hence conditions may arise where the bodies or fenders do not project sufliciently beyond the wheels, in a lateral direction, to prevent the wheels from splashing and kicking up mud and the like upon the body surfaces that surround the wheel housings. This condition is obviated by the present invention, since the flexible guards may be attached to a rigid body, that is already of the full legal width, without violating the law either actually or in spirit. In one common form of test under the law in question, the bus or coach must be'driven posts, set at given distances apart, without destroying the latter or damaging the vehicle. This requirement is fully met by the unusually wide vehicle of this invention, wherein the flexible extensions prevent splashing. It should be observed that the guard forms a good seal between itself and the body, and in this respect is unlike the prior conventional fenders which do not seal the joints-formed ment with the body proper.

The invention, above described, is advantageously adapted for use on other types of vehicles, even where such vehicles do not approach the full width permitted by law.

maintain a normal set in the along their lines of engage- When so adapted, the guards serve as flexible buffers for warding 01f colliding objects. Moreover, they have a certain psychological effect which results in the prevention of many damaging or major accidents. Thelilr t e drivers of other vehiclesto pass the equipped vehicle with the same clearance as they would allow if the guarding equipment was'in fact rigid. Consequently, any minor errors in udgment will merely cause a harmless engagement of the flexible guards with the passing vehicle. Likewise, what would not- ,Vldd in flush engagement with the curved wheel housingbeing disposed entirely be- "because they will not maintain a normally rubber, molded to give lta somewhat perma- 100 Letters Patent is tp, comprises a curved flexible extension pro ect- -relatively freely flexible guard mounted adagainst the outer edge of said wheel housing. 120

mally be a serious error in judgment of clear- 3. In the construction set forth in claim 1, ance will cause only a minor collision resultsaid guard consisting wholly of deformable ing in a mere scraping of the rigid parts of material and being designed to protectthe the bodies against one another. The adopbody from damages that otherwise would retion ofthe invention in these other types of sult from minor collisions. 70 vehicles is illustrated in Figs. 5-9. 4. In combination with a vehicle compris- In Fig. 5 there is shown a section of a type ing a body designed to form a substantially of bus wherein the wheel housing includes a rigid wheel housing, a flexible skirt having an rigid fender that projects laterally beapproximately semi-cylindrical portion at-- yond the side wall 15. A flexible guard tached along the outer edge of said wheel 240, very similar to guard 24 but somewhat housing, said skirt being formed to extend narrower, is attached to the fender 30 by bolt outwardly beyond said ri id wheel housing. assemblies 220. An inner bead 290 is pro- 5. In the combination of claim 4,,said rigid ed e of the fender. tween the side walls of the Vehicle body. In Figs. 6 and 7 a modified form of flexi- 6. In the combination specified in claim 4, ble guard, 32, is attached insimilar fashion said rigid wheel housing being of substantialto the rigid rear fender 33 of the body 34 of ly semi-cylindrical shape, and there being a' a pleasure vehicle. band secured thereto in continuous clamping In Figs. 8 and 9, a similar flexible guard, engagement with said semi-cylindrical por- 35, is applied to the rigid front fender 36 of tion of said shirt. a pleasure vehicle body. This guard, and 7. In the combination defined in claim 4, also that of Fig. 7, is rather diagrammatisaid flexible skirt being sufficiently narrow cally shown, and may be formed with or and so coated as to have a substantially rigid without the fabric coverings seen in Figs. appearance. 3 and 5. 8. A guard designed for application to a The psychological effect, above mentioned, Wheel housing "of a road vehicle body, said as produced by the devices of Figs. 5-9, could guard comprising a curved device having an hardly be obtained if the entire fender conapproximately semi-cylindrical portion destruction were made flexible instead of in signed for sealing engagement with the ve- 5 part rigid. A full flexible fender would be hicle body and a flexible skirt-shaped part of so wide as to be unstable and would not have relatively narrow width projectin laterally a deceptlve rigid appearance. Moreover, from saidportion. full width. flexible fenders are impractical 9. In claim 8, said guard being formed of permanent shape, and are undesirable benentnormal shape. cause they afford no rotection to the body 10. In claim 8, said flexible skirt-shaped proper in cases of col ision. part being covered with fabric to provide it These inventions may be embodied in other with proper formand appearance. specific forms without departing from the 11. In the guard defined in claim 8, there spirit or essential characteristics thereof. beingalongitudinal enlargement in the form The present embodiments are therefore to of an, approximately circular deformable be considered in all respects as illustrative bead on the projecting edge of said skirtand not restrictive, the scope of the invenshaped part. tions being indicated by the appended claims 12. A guard designed for application to the 6 rather than by the'foregoing description, and wheel housing of a road vehicle body; said all changes which come within the meaning guard comprising an elongated relatively and range of equivalency of the claims are narrow device, one edge of which comprises a therefore intended to be embraced therein. portion designed for engagement with the What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. wheel housing and the other edge of which at is claimed is: 'll'lg laterally from said portion; said device 1. n a vehicle comprlslng a substantially having, at the juncture of said portion with rigid body designed to form a wheel recess, a said skirt, a deformable bead designed to fit jacent the outer edge of sald wheel recess, said 13. A guarding device of the character deguard being of preformed shape and described, comprising 'a molded flexible skirt signed to project laterally beyond the rigid consisting of a guarding portion provided vehicle body. with an extension designed for attachment 2. 'In the construction defined in claim 1, within a wheel housing of a road vehicle, said said guard comprising a molded skirt extend guarding portion being relatively narrow and ing substantially beyond the corresponding equipped with a pair of circumferentially' wheel of the recess to protect the body portion, disposed beads, one at its outer edge and the around the recess from splashing by the other at its juncture with said extension. wheel. p 14. In a vehicle body having side walls and wheel recesses, a wheel-housing member in the form of a rigid fender projecting laterally outwardly beyond each of said sidewalls, and a flexible guard attached to said fender q and forming an outward extension thereof, said flexible guard having a shoulder in flush engagement with the outer edge of said fender. 15. A guard designed for application to a 10 wheel housing of a. road vehicle body; said guard comprising a relatively narrow, elongated device formed of rubber, molded to impart to it a substantially permanent curved shape; said device comprising a portion designedtor continuous engagement with the vehicle body, and a flexible skirt projecting laterally from said portion. I

16. In the combination set forthin claim a 15 said guard embodying a flexible sheet of w fabric or the like to assist in maintaining the permanence of the molded rubber.

17. A guard designed for ap lication to a wheel housing of a road vehic e body; said guard comprising an elongated curved device having a portion designed for continuous engagement with the vehicle body, and a relatively narrow flexible skirt projecting later-- ally from said portion, said skirt being formed-of rubber, molded substantially to m predetermined shape, and having an. integral bead at its outer edge to assist in the maintenance of said predetermined shape.

18. In combination .with a road vehicle body having a wheelhousing, a guard dew: signed for application to the wheel housing, said guard comprising a curved elongated device formed of rubber, having its'inner edge fitted in and clamped in continuous engagement with said wheel housing, said inner 4U edge having all transverse lines thereof projecting laterally of the vehicle in horizontal planes, and said guard further comprising an integral outer skirt portionshaped to converge toward the center of said wheelhous- In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

W'ILLXAM B. FAGEOL. 

